We live in a day where unfortunately it is hard to find committed churchmen (and women). I am talking about disciples of Jesus who build the rhythms of their lives around the local church and her mission in the world, who see the local body as the hub of their...

Healthy churches have explicit pre-commitments in what they believe (confession), how they live together (covenant), and how they are governed (constitution). Of course there is more that constitutes a healthy church, but I would argue it is critical from the outset...

Al Jackson, one of the men I esteem highly in the SBC has written about unregenerate church membership in the May-June 2011 IX Marks e-Journal. In particular, he spells out the consequences for meaningless membership. Quoting Vance Havner, he says that “we are...

Last week, I took up the first part of the membership process, namely the membership application and class. Today, I want to finish up the membership process by taking up the interview and congregational vote. It goes without saying that these processes are always...

There are four major components of what I call the “Commission Continuum”–that is the metaprocess of kingly administration from beginning to end. Those four components are assimilation, membership, discipleship, and leadership. I just completed the...

The Assimilation Process: Part 1: First-Time Guest Part 2: New Believers Part 3: Regular Attenders The fourth and final aspect of the assimilation process is the prospective member (I will launch into the membership process next). Membership in a local church may be...